Kyodo News reports a ruling of the Saitama District Court ordering Google to de-index certain results is the first in that country to explicitly recognize a “right to be forgotten” in Japan.

A Japanese court has recognized the “right to be forgotten” in a case filed by a man demanding Google Inc remove three-year-old news reports of his arrest for involvement in child prostitution and pornography, according to newly discovered court documents.

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Last June, the Saitama District Court ordered Google to remove Internet search results that include media reports about the arrest of that man, saying his right to rehabilitation was being infringed. Google objected to that court order.

The provisional ruling was issued by the same court after reexamining the case.

Read more on Japan Today. Google has appealed the ruling to the Tokyo High Court.